Lindsey Whiteside will be going to prison for at least ten years after she pleaded guilty to taking a minor across state lines for illegal sexual activity last week in federal court.
The victim became involved with a church youth group where Whiteside was youth pastor. Whiteside befriended the victim's mother. The victim started attending private counseling sessions with Whiteside.
Desoto County Sheriff's Office Investigator Miranda Fox testified at the bond revocation hearing in November the relationship became sexual in May 2024 when the victim was 16. The victim (This article will refer to her as Mary Ann) and Whiteside went on a youth church trip to Tennessee that month. Mary Ann traveled to Tennessee on the church bus but returned in Whiteside's vehicle. Fox said Digital and oral penetration occurred during the trip.
Whiteside took Mary Ann in June to see Mary Ann's sister in Atlanta. Whiteside told Mary Ann's mother it would be "beneficial" to visit her sister. Upon leaving Atlanta, Whiteside took Mary Ann with her directly to a speaking engagement the youth pastor had at a church in Tennessee. They slept in the same hotel room. Fox said penetration took place again. Star lawyer Anthony Farese tried to crack Fox's testimony on cross-examination. Fox admitted Whiteside didn't force the victim to have sex but added "at her age, she is statutorily prevented from giving consent."
Mary Ann turned 17 in July. The relationship continued for at least six months.
Whiteside groomed the victim and had sex with her for over six months. State prosecutors presented 64,000 text messages between the pair.
Whiteside pleaded guilty in Desoto County Circuit Court to Sexual Battery of a Minor in October 2025. The minor victim bravely testified against Whiteside at sentencing only to be backstabbed by the criminal justice system.
Special Circuit Judge Andrew Howorth sentenced the defendant to three years of house arrest on October 13 even though the Mississippi Code expressly prohibits house arrest for sexual crimes. The sentence sparked much outrage across Mississippi. The District Attorney tried to appeal the sentence but Special Circuit Judge Jeffrey Weill denied his motion for reconsideration, ruling state law allowed provided no remedy for a Judge who ignores a minimum sentence.
The Justice Department stepped in and obtained a federal indictment on October 22. 2025. The indictment included two counts of transporting the victim across state lines to engage in sexual activity and one count for transporting a minor for sex.
Magistrate Jane Virden set Whiteside's bond at $60,000 and denied the Justice Department's request for detention. Prosecutors appealed to U.S. District Judge Debra Brown, filing a motion for revocation. Judge Brown agreed with the prosecution and revoked Whiteside's bond on November 13, 2025. Earlier post with thorough coverage of hearing.
Whiteside pleaded guilty to one count of taking a minor across state lines for illegal sexual activity on September 25. The defendant remains in custody at the Lafayette County Detention Center. Attorney Joseph Cooper of the Farese, Farese, & Farese law firm represented Whiteside.
The sentence for a conviction under 18 U.S.C. Section 2423(a) ranges from ten years up to life in prison and/or a maximum $250,000 fine. Judge Brown will probably give the defendant credit for time served in jail.
Judge Brown scheduled Whiteside's sentencing for January 13 at 10 AM at the federal courthouse in Greenville.
Whiteside will still be able to serve her house arrest - at her new home in a federal prison.
Kingfish note: Good job to the U.S. Attorney's office. They saw an injustice, picked up the ball, and ran with it.
17 comments:
What is to be done about light on crime judges like Judge Andrew Howorth? If the genders were reversed, this person would be buried.
yet again the u.s .department of justice and the united states attorneys office have to show up and and flush the toliet that is certain members of the mississippi judiciary.
Mississippi has a judge problem.
And churches have a sex problem
That’s true. It’s a FACT men get longer prison sentences compared to women
Mississippi has a people problem - a lot of stupid people, and many of them post on this website.
It’s actually an UGLY people problem. It’s never attractive people who do this.
@11:08 - I don't think Jeffrey Epstein and the Tate brothers were/are considered UGLY. It's a sexually predatory people problem.
"To the Honorable Judge Andrew Howorth
My name is Michele Henley. I am a mother and member of the DeSoto County School Board. I am writing on behalf of Lindsey Whiteside. I have known the Whiteside family for many years. However, in the past five years, I have had the privilege of getting to know them better. Being on the school board, I got to know Gayle better, as well as her children. Four years ago, I asked Gayle if Lindsey would coach my daughter in basketball because she wanted to try out for the middle school team. Lindsey gladly agreed. She worked one-on-one with my daughter to practice and improve her skills. Lindsey was always encouraging, supportive, and helpful during their training sessions. She continuously gave my daughter pointers on how to improve her game while encouraging her every step of the way. When my daughter made the team, we sent Lindsey a text to tell her. She was so excited for my daughter and, again, encouraged her to keep working hard to get better every day. Middle school can be hard for a young person. I am happy to say, Lindsey’s encouragement and support helped my daughter, not only make the team, but have a wonderful middle school experience."
What's trulysick is Michele Henley still thinks she didn't do anything wrong....and the DeSoto County Superintendent Cory Uselton agrees.
Yall need to get a grip. If it were a 16 year old and a 20 something hooking up locally on Tinder of Grindr then it would be perfectly legal. Yeah they got her on the federal charge of crossing state lines. A federal law put in place because states used to have much different ages of consent. In Mississippi Age of Consent is 16. Just not for adults in authority. So it’s perfectly legal for tinder and grindr hookups.
1:09 what exactly is your point?
you are all screeching about how sick she is and how disgusting and disturbing this is but like i said, if the tao of them had just hooked up on grindr or tinder it would be legal.
Our sicko is back. He's taking a new tact today. Usually he will say lesbo sex between an adult and minor is ok, he will justify 13 year olds girls sleeping with much older men, and try to blame all minor victims of sexual assault reported on this site.
this case makes me so mad. An adult, in what should be a trusted position, hurts a kid. i hope she gets the maximum sentence and is labeled a sex offender for the rest of her life. Thank you to the US Attorney's office for prosecuting this.
Pretty pathetic when a judge can't accurately apply the law.
That Judge Hogwort I surmise had a liking to Lindseys Backside. He was just showing his freaky side. Just a little fun!
Post a Comment